Students on a faculty-led Yukon River float trip are back on campus after completing the field portion of Expedition Alaska, the University’s unique first-year experience class centered on active learning. “This is a dramatic way to learn personal responsibility,” said Simon Frez-Albrecht, an Outdoor Studies major and among Expedition teaching assistants. For some students, the…
Expedition Alaska returns from the Yukon River: ‘It was a great trip!’
Pinholes, Xtratufs and a whole lot of pasta: Expedition Alaska heads for the Yukon River
Days of safety training and classroom learning are about to pay off for University students departing Sept. 3 for Alaska’s remote Interior and a 158-mile float trip along the Yukon River. “For some of them, this is the first time they’ve put on a life jacket,” said Simon Frez-Albrecht, an Outdoor Studies major and among…
Student to student: ‘Welcome to APU – where true learning takes place’
Editor’s note: Asked to help welcome students to the start of a new academic year, Felipe Restrepo, ’16, recalls how he adjusted to University life one (snowy) step at a time. Restrepo, a native of Medellin, Colombia, is an Environmental Science major with a minor in Outdoor Studies. He dedicated his Convocation speech Aug. 23…
APU grads vie for seat in 2014 state Senate race
Two University alumni are seeking election to the Alaska State Senate from Anchorage. Felix Rivera, ’11, announced his campaign Aug. 1 as a Democrat from District M. He will oppose Sen. Kevin Meyer, a Republican seeking his second four-year term. About 25,000 voters live in the mid-Hillside district, which takes in Abbott Loop Road. While…
From Sea to Summit and Back Again
When APU student Killian Sump rounded the bend to Aialik Bay in Kenai fjords National Park, he knew just what awaited. Towering peaks of the Kenai Mountains. Humpback whales and tidewater glaciers. Newly emerging rainforest and the largest icefield entirely within U.S. borders. But all that snow? in June? I was ecstatic. The banks of…
APU grad Zachary Kline earns Silver Star for combat valor following rescue amid Afghan firefight
Air Force pararescue jumper Zachary A. Kline, ’02, has received a Silver Star Medal for his role as an assistant team leader during a battlefield rescue in which a downed helicopter exploded in mountainous Kapisa Province, Afghanistan. Kline, 33, was among members of the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron based at Bagram Airfield, about 25 miles…
Olympic skier Holly Brooks counts the days to Sochi, adds up ways that her Alaska Pacific teammates are pursuing degrees
In between single-leg squats and VO2 max testing, APU grad student Holly Brooks got to thinking: “The APU Nordic Ski Center is in the headlines quite a bit….” A member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic cross-country ski team, Brooks is training this summer with Alaska Pacific skiers as they count the days to the 2014…
History and Culture of Alaska Natives – Group Project
This group project was done for a course deliberately designed to challenge assumptions made about the history and culture of Alaska Natives. In the class, I ask: Is it possible to find or understand another’s truth through the lens of history and culture? By the end of the course, I expect that participants will understand…
Ecotheology and Pebble Mine
Sam Friedman recently completed two Bachelor’s degrees at APU – A Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a Religious Studies concentration and a Bachelor of Science in Earth Science. To combine his two interests into one senior project, Sam focused on Ecotheology as it applies to the potential development of the Pebble Mine. He…
How to tag a fish? APU’s Ashline explains for award-winning TV show
APU graduate student Joshua Ashline is featured in a segment of Aqua Kids, a nationally televised series aimed at motivating young people to take part in preserving marine life and habitat. Ashline, a biologist in training with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Anchorage, is seen in a segment focusing on Alaska salmon and…